Method for polishing a seaming roll

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for polishing seaming rolls of an automatic can closing machine without removing the seaming rolls from the can closing machine, wherein the seaming rolls are engaged and rotated by an expandable chuck, and abrasive material is spring urged into the peripheral seaming groove of the seaming rolls.

United States Patent 1191 Peebles I [451 Nov. 19, 1974 METHOD FOR POLISHING A SEAMINC ROLL Inventor: Roy M. Peebles, c/o Sheldon Little Company, 1228 Zonolite Rd. NE, Decatur, Ga. 30306 Filed: July 11, 1973 Appl. No.: 378,208

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 114,200, Feb. 10, 1971, Pat. No. 3,745,718.

US. Cl 51/289 R, 51/241 S, 51/251 Int. Cl. B24b l/00 Field of Search 51/289 R, 241 S, 251, 255,

51/170 R, 170 P, 281 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1934 McWhirter 51/255 2,664,679 l/l954 Kelly 51/255 Primary Examiner-Donald G. Kelly Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Newton, Hopkins & Ormsby [57] ABSTRACT Method and apparatus for polishing seaming rolls of an automatic can closing machine without removing the seaming rolls from the can closing machine, wherein the seaming rolls are engaged and rotated by an expandable chuck, and abrasive material is spring urged into the peripheral seaming groove of the seaming rolls.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEL HEY I 9 I974 SHEEI 1 OF 2 METHOD FOR POLISHING A SEAMING ROLL CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a division of application Ser. No. 1 14,200 filed Feb. 10, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,745,718.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for polishing, and is more particularly concerned with a method and apparatus for polishing the seaming rolls on a can closing device.

Automatic can closing machines are widely used in both the manufacture and the filling of cans to seal the ends to the body of the can. A can closing machine generally has twelve seaming rolls, or six pairs of seaming rolls. The first roll of each pair makes a partial bend of the can lip, and the second roll of each pair completes the bend and effects a complete seal of the can lip. It

is highly desirable for both the manufacturer of cans and the seller of canned goods to produce a finished product with as attractive an appearance as possible, but if the seaming rolls are not smooth, the can lip will have a marred appearance. Furthermore, when cans with a non-tarnish coating are being sealed, a rough seaming roll will tend to remove the coating from the .can and allow the lip of the can to tarnish, resulting in a very unattractive can to display for sale.

When the cans being processed are made of steel with a plastic or tin coating, the constant abrasion even of a smooth seaming roll will cause a gradual build-up of plastic or tin on the seaming roll which may mutilate subsequent cans and remove a large part of the plastic or tin coating. The steel will then be subject to rust.

sive material against the seaming groove of the seaming roll to achieve the polishing, and the means for urging the abrasive material against the seaming groove of the seaming roll also provides automatic alignment of the abrasive material with the seaming groove. Thus, the polishing method and apparatus according to the present invention can be used by one with a relatively low degree of skill.

Since the seaming rolls need not be removed from the can' closing machine, the rolls need not be regreased or realigned which greatly speeds the polishing process. It has been found that the polishing of all 12 seaming rolls on a can closing machine using the method and apparatus according to the present invention takes less than one-tenth the time required by the usual polishing process.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent on consideration of the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the roll polishing apparatus made in accordance with the present invention;-

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially in crosssection, of the device shown in FIG. 1 and shown in tus to hold the abrasive material; and

Sometimes a steel can will present a sufficiently rough edge to the seaming roll that the can will damage the seaming roll, i.e., the can will gouge the seaming roll.

groove of the seaming roll while the seaming roll is rotated by the lathe. This process must be continued until all of the material is removed from the groove of the seaming roll and the surfaces are sufficiently smooth.

The seaming rolls, after polishing, must be replaced on the can closer. This entails regreasing the bearings, assuring that the twelve rolls are properly located in appropriate pairs, and carefully aligning each of the 12 rolls. This rather involved procedure normally requires several hours for a skilled machinist, and the can closing machine is of course unuseable during this time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the above mentioned and other difficulties by providing a method and apparatus for polishing the seaming rolls of a can closing machine while the seaming rolls are mounted on the can closingmachine. There is provided a means for rotating the seaming roll, and means for urging an abra- FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the chuck used to rotate the seaming roll.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawing, and to that embodiment here chosen by way of illustration, it will be seen in FIG. 1 that the apparatus includes support am 10 having an expandable chuck 11 mounted at one extremity thereof; the chuck 11 having a shaft 12 which extends through the support arm 10, and is joumaled by means of a bearing 14. A slide assembly generally designated at 15 is positioned intermediate the ends of support arm 10 and is urged toward the chuck 11 by a spring 16. The slide assembly 15 carries a polishing disc 18 as will be discussed in more detail hereinafter. The support arm 10 tenninates in a handle portion 19.

The chuck 11 is adapted to engage a seaming roll as will be discussed in more detail later, and the shaft 12 is rotated by some convenient means in order to rotate the chuck 11 which will, in turn, rotate the seaming roll. Though any of numerous means can be used to rotate the shaft 12, there is here shown a conventional air-driven drill 20. The shaft 12 is held in the conventional chuck 21 of the drill 20, and the handle 22 of the drill 20 is fixed to the end of the handle 19 of the apparatus. When the drill is thus installed, the entire apparatus remains unitary and very conveniently portable with a self-contained power unit.

At this point, it will be understood that in order to polish the seaming groove G of a seaming roll R, an operator will pull back the slide 15 by means of the convenient trigger 24, and insert the chuck 11 into the central bore of the seaming roll R. The drill will be turned on to rotate the drill chuck 21 which will in turn rotate the chuck 11. When the chuck 11 is rotated the chuck jaws will engage the edges of the seaming roll R as will be discussed more fully hereinafter, thereby to rotate the seaming roll R. When the seaming roll R is rotating, the trigger 24 will be released to allow the abrasive material 18 to move toward the seaming groove G to effect the polishing.

If the spring 16 does not exert sufficient pressure on the abrasive material 18, additional force can be applied by the operator simply by placing his thumb on the surface 25 of the slide 18. With the additional pressure, the polishing can be done faster; or, in some cases, the additional pressure may be necessary to achieve the necessary polishing.

Referring now in more detail to the slide assembly 15 which is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings, it will be seen that there is a platform 26 having a plate 28 attached to the bottom thereof, and it is from the plate 28 that the trigger 24 extends downwardly. At one end of the plate 28 there is a housing 29 which has an open bore 30 to receive the spring 16. The plate 28 is received within an elongated slot 31 in the arm 10; and a cap 32 (FIG. 2) is fixed to the bottom of the plate 28 by means of screws 34. Thus, the plate 28 is slidable within the slot 31 with the platform 26 and the cap 32 preventing removal of the plate 28 from the slot 31.

The front wall 35 of the housing 29 has a central vertical rib 36 (FIG. 4) which has an elongated opening 38 (FIG. 2). Co-operating with the rib 36 is an abrasive carrier 40. The abrasive carrier 40 is bifurcated at its rear end, the bifurcations being provided with aligned holes 41 and 42. It should be noted that the hole 41 is not threaded while the hole 42 is threaded. It will thus be seen that a cap screw 44 passes through the hole 41, through the opening 38 in the rib 36, then threadedly engages the hole 42. By this means the abrasive carrier 40 can be moved vertically to the proper position, then the cap screw 44 can be tightened to hold the abrasive carrier 40 in the desired location.

The abrasive carrier 40 has a forwardly extending deck 43 having a threaded hole 47. A screw 17 then extends through the abrasive disc 18 and engages the threaded hole 47.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous forms of abrasive or polishing materials can be placed on the deck 43, but the one selected for illustration is a disk so that as one edge wears, the disk can be rotated to present a new surface to the seaming roll. The disc is preferably somewhat resilient in order to conform to the groove G, and one material that has been used successfully is a rubberized material with a carbide g'rit embedded in the material. Such material is readily available and is quite proficient in polishing the seaming rolls without undue removal of material from the seaming roll.

In use it is contemplated that the user would grasp the handle 19, wrapping his four fingers around the handle 19 so that his thumb would normally rest in. a convenient position to engage the surface 25. This would be true regardless of whether the preferred hand of the user is the right or left; thus, the surface 25 is conveniently located for application of additional pressure as required.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the chuck 11 includes generally two chuck jaws 45 and 46 which are loosely held by rivets 48 so that they can move toward each other and can be cammed apart by the cam 49. In more detail, the chuck 11 includes the cam 49 having the shaft 12 attached thereto, and a peripheral groove 50 in the shaft 12 to receive a locking ring 51. A mounting disc 52 receives the chuck jaws 45 and 46, and the jaws are attached to the mounting plate 52 by means of the rivets 48. The shaft 12 passes through the central hole 54 of the mounting plate 52, then through the bearing 14.

The upper edge 55 of the chuck jaw 45 and the upper edge 56 of the chuck jaw 46 are accurately machined to be substantially square corners so that the chuck jaws 45 and 46 can grip a very small surface and still provide sufficient gripping force to rotate a roll such as a seaming roll R.

It will be noticed that the central portions of the chuck jaws 45 and 46 are recessed as at 58 and 59. Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that one conventional seaming roll R is provided with a grease cover C which is depressed in its center. The recessions 58 and 59 in the chuck jaws 45 and 46 are required in order to allow the grease cover C to project into the recessions 58 and 59 so that the chuck jaws 45 and 46 can engage a sufficient area of the seaming roll R to drive the seaming roll.

It will be seen that the arm 10 of the apparatus of the present invention includes a forward extension 60 which has a counterbored hole 61 to receive the bearing 14. The assembled chuck is received within this counterbored hole 61 with the shaft 12 projecting through the hole, and the locking ring 51 is snapped into the groove 50 of the shaft 12 to hold the assembly together.

It will now be seen that, when the shaft 12 is rotated by the drill 20 or other power source, the cam 49 will be rotated within the cam ways 82 and 64 in the chuck jaws 45 and 46 respectively to urge the chuck jaws 45 and 46 apart. The'cam 49 is elongated so that one dimension, when disposed between the chuck jaws 45 and 46, allows the chuck jaws to lie substantially contiguously, which is the retracted condition of the chuck 11. When the cam 49 is rotated to attempt to place the longer dimension of the cam 49 between the chuck jaws 45 and 46 the jaws are urged apart toward the expanded condition of the chuck 11. It will be seen that the jaws 45 and 46 will not move out sufficiently for the cam 49 to rotate completely; thus, as the shaft 12 is rotated, the cam 49 will urge the chuck jaws out to their greatest extent, then will rotate the chuck. Due to the continuous cam action during rotation of the chuck, the chuck is held in its expanded condition. Thus, as the shaft rotates, the chuck jaws 45 and 46 will also be rotated by the engagement of the cam 49 with the cam ways 62 and 64; therefore, the driving force that rotates the shaft 12 both urges the chuck jaws 45 and 46 apart and by the same force rotates the chuck.

OPERATION From the foregoing discussion, the method of operation should now be understandable.

As a normal procedure, all of the seaming rolls on a can closing machine will be polished in sequence while the can closing machine is shut down. Once the machine is shut down, the apparatus of the present invention is taken to the machine, and the slide assembly 15 will be moved rearwardly by the means of the trigger 24 to remove the abrasive disc 18 from the vicinity of the expandable chuck 11 so that the chuck can be inserted into the seaming roll R. The device is held in the operators hand while the chuck 11 in its retracted form is inserted from below up into the central downwardly facing bore of the seaming roll R.

At this point, it should be mentioned that the first time the device is used, the abrasive holder 40 must be adjusted vertically to be precisely aligned with the seaming groove G. To do this, the cap screw 44 is loosened and the abrasive holder 40 is moved vertically until the abrasive disc 18 will rest within the seaming groove G. Then the cap screw 44 is tightened to hold the abrasive holder 40 in that position.

Once the location of the abrasive holder 40 is set, one must simply place expandable chuckv 11 in the seaming roll as described above, then the power source, such as drill 20, is actuated which rotates the cam 49 and urges the chuck jaws 45 and 46 outwardly against the inner surface of the lower annular flange of the seaming roll R. This will cause the chuck 11 to engage the seaming roll R with sufficient force to rotate the seaming roll. Once the seaming roll is rotating, the trigger 24 is released to allow abrasive disc 18 to engage the seaming groove G and polish it. Normally, the force supplied by the spring 16 is sufficient to polish the seaming groove G in only a short time; however, if the seaming groove G is very badly pitted and has large build-ups of material, additional pressure may be required. When additional pressure is required, the operators thumb on the surface 25 can provide whatever additional force is necessary.

After the abrasive disc 18 has been used for an extensive period of time, the used edge of thedisc will be sufficiently deteriorated so that it will not do an adequate polishing job. In this instance, the screw 17 must simply be loosened and the abrasive disc 18 rotated to provide a new abrasive surface. Thus, it will be seen that the change of abrasive surfaces is extremely fast and simple, and the disc can be rotated periodically until the entire periphery of the disc 18 is used.

It should now be seen that the method of the present invention includes the steps of rotating a seaming roll of a can closing machine without removing the roll from the machine or otherwise disassembling the ma chine, and urging an abrasive material against the seaming roll. The method further includes the pre alignment of the abrasive material so that the polishing is done in precisely the desired area. In addition, the preferred pressure is applied by the abrasive against the seaming roll, but that pressure is variable at the discretion of the operator.

It will thus be seen that the method and apparatus of the present invention provide a most efficient and effective polishing of seaming rolls on can closing machines, utilizing a completely portable apparatus which is usable by relatively unskilled labor.

[twill of course be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention here shown is by way of illustration only, and numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the full use of equivalents resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A method for polishing a seaming roll on a can closing machine in which the seaming roll remains on the machine in completely assembled condition, said method including the steps of gripping the seaming roll with a chuck and rotating the chuck thereby to rotate the seaming roll; positioning an abrasive material in alignment with the area of the seaming roll to be polished; holding the abrasive material in alignment while moving the abrasive material toward the seaming roll; and urging the abrasive material with a substantially constant force against the seaming roll while the scam- 

1. A method for polishing a seaming roll on a can closing machine in which the seaming roll remains on the machine in completely assembled condition, said method including the steps of gripping the seaming roll with a chuck and rotating the chuck thereby to rotate the seaming roll; positioning an abrasive material in alignment with the area of the seaming roll to be polished; holding the abrasive material in alignment while moving the abrasive material toward the seaming roll; and urging the abrasive material with a substantially constant force against the seaming roll while the seaming roll is rotated. 